5 years after the Chuunin exams, Temari arrives to Konoha for Shikamaru, a lazy bachelor who goes on to get in trouble on his first attempt for love. Political intrigue, betrayal, and lies complicates the increasingly bizarre love polygon. Ch. 5 UP! [AU]

A/N2:
First Temari/Shikamaru fic
around here…as far as I know ^_^ If I'm wrong, feel
free to inform me of the existence of other fics of
this sort, I like odd pairings.

Prologue

It's been
five years since Temari last stepped beyond the Wind Country, but she
continues to dream each night of lush green trees and sparkling rivers. She couldn't forget the feeling of crisp air in her lungs, and
the color of the cerulean sky. And she couldn't forget
him…

They only spent two hours
together in the arena, in a languid battle of tactics. It felt more like a game
of shougi than battle, and in some ways…it
felt as if he was flirting with her. The tactical advances and ploys felt like
a demure kind of courtship; and whenever she remembered when he finally caught
her, a delicate red would spread across her face. Because of the desert heat,
no one notices when Temari suddenly becomes silent
and flushed in the face.

Funny how the helplessness
that she had felt as she walked towards him returns to her time and time again,
as if she's irresistibly drawn to him. Even after such a long time, she
remembers the grim satisfaction in his eyes, and the little smile that haunted
her dreams…

And now, now she wants to more than just dream. No one is
going to stop her.

"Are
you ready to leave here, leave you home?" He pressed on. "Forever?"

--

I
was so lost as I exited the tall iron gates, and felt the resonating boom of it
shutting shaking my bones. There was no need to turn around to know how
majestic our village looks from the outside, with its rough sandstone walls gleaming
dull pink in the sunset like an unpolished gem amid this sandy wasteland. With
tears in my eyes, I raised my head to face the sun. There was no turning back
now; I could only follow the sun.

--

Their
Hokage regarded me with suspicious eyes, a pair of
golden brown orbs full of energy and intensity. I was surprised how young she
was, only a few years older than myself. I handed over
my official papers and passport without a word, absentmindly
slipping off my Hidden Sand forehead protector from around my neck, tucking it
into my bag. The concept wasn't new, to send a shinobi as an immigrant to a different hidden village. My
purpose there wasn't to gather information or to
assassinate someone, but simply to live here and remember my allegiance to my
village, so that I will aid them in combat if they should attack the Leaf, or
motivate the Leaf to aid the Sand if my homeland is in trouble. My
sister-in-law back in the Wind Country is one in fact,
she married Kankuro two years ago…I often wondered if
she really loved him.

I
never thought Kazekage-sama would choose me to be a
spy. No matter how much I wanted to be there, arriving to the Hidden Leaf as a
spy made me feel deceitful and guilty.

"Very
well, all of your information are in order," the Hokage stood up, and gave me a polite grin, "your Hokage welcomes our new shinobi!"

I
received my shiny new forehead protector and address to my new apartment with a
quick bow, and exited her office.

Her
gaze burned into my back, I hurried out.

--

After
I situated in the little apartment at the edge of the village, I slipped into
some lightweight clothes and climbed out of the window. Now that I was finally
there, I had to seek him out. I waited for so many years for this day…The
blazing heat within my chest spread like a fever as I leaped into the forest.

The
burning urge cooled after a few moments among the branches, and I dropped to
the ground to stroll slowly in the shades. Above, the sun and leaves made an
intricate display of light and dark, and fell around me in a pretty dappled
pattern. Even seeing these shadows reminded me of him. I tried to imagine what
he would look like now, as a man. Would he still have that weary look in his
eyes? Or that shrewd smile? It suddenly occurred to me
how absurd I was being, a twenty years old woman that's in love with the memory
of a twelve years old boy she met five years ago.

---

tbc!

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